The present invention provides a telephone call center with dynamic staffing of service agents to provide service to incoming calls with substantially zero delay.
Telecommunication systems are well known retail sales devices. A typical implementation of a known system is shown in FIG. 1. There, a telephone call center 200 is provided in communication with a telephone network 100, such as the Public Switched Telephone Network. The telephone call center 200 may include a communication switch 210 and a telecommunications queue 230 that is controlled by a control processor 220. The call center 200 may also include a plurality of agents A.sub.l -A.sub.n, each of which is able to service a given number of incoming calls. Thus, the number of agents determines the capacity of the telephone call center 200.
When all agents are occupied, the telephone call center cannot provide service to a new customer. Accordingly, it is common to place the customer in a telecommunications queue. The new customer sits idle in the queue until an agent becomes available to serve the new customer.
Telecommunications queues can cause customer dissatisfaction. The customer often cannot transact other business while he waits in queue. Further, the customer cannot determine his position in the queue or estimate the length of time that he will wait in the queue. The fact that the customer is placed in the queue may be interpreted by the customer as indifference on the part of the retailer to the customer.
Telecommunications based retail operations are highly competitive businesses. Retailers compete on a host of factors, including quality of service and costs. Often the factors themselves are competing. A retailer may choose to improve service by increasing the number of service agents present at the call center. However, agents must be trained. They require certain tools, such as computer and telephone equipment, to service customers. Thus, the decision to increase the number of agents servicing customers may incur additional cost.
There is a need in the art for telephone call center that improves service quality by providing substantially zero delay service and yet maintains the cost of such service at a minimum.